2015 Toyota Camry

Banishing the bland.

The Camry has been America’s bestselling car for 12 years running, cashing in on a reputation for reliability, value, and unobtrusive motoring. But the Camry name is not one you’re not likely to hear when hotshoes get together to talk cars, unless it’s accompanied by a yawn.

Predictably, Toyota product planners and marketing types aren’t happy with their car’s bland image, and the Camry’s extensive 2015 refresh is aimed at adding a little more adrenaline to a driving experience that has hitherto appealed mostly to people who aren’t really interested in driving.

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The update includes an almost total reskin and comprehensive interior upgrades. But the key to expanding the Camry’s appeal to those who prioritize eager responses and a sense of engagement—traits we lump under the fun-to-drive heading—lies in upgrading the department of dynamics.

In addition to sportier suspension tuning and revisions to the electric power steering system to improve feel, especially on-center, the chassis also benefits from selective stiffening, in particular with more spot-welds around the door-opening flanges. Toyota refrained from citing specifics regarding chassis rigidity, but a stiffer structure is almost invariably a better starting point for improving transient response and all-around response.

The chassis team has also made upgrades to the Camry’s braking system with a two-stage booster to improve pedal feel. Like so many mid-size sedans, the Camry has recorded longish stopping distances in previous tests, and what this improvement will do in that critical area remains to be seen.

Toyota calls this the sportiest Camry yet, and to underscore the brand’s desire to attract more enthusiastic drivers, there will be two sporty trim levels: the established SE, which already accounts for 45 percent of Camry sales, and the new XSE. Both will sport a distinct mesh grille and fascia design, but the XSE adds 18-inch aluminum wheels, firmer shocks, harder suspension bushings, higher spring rates, and a retuned electric power steering system.

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Sportiness will also extend to the Camry hybrid, with a new SE model featuring a new front antiroll bar, retuned shock absorber valving, and firmer control-arm bushings. The engineers have also tweaked the stability control for less-aggressive intervention.

Aside from the roof panel, the sheetmetal is all-new, conceived to add spice to the Camry’s persistently vanilla styling and create an athletic presence. Although the wheelbase is unchanged at 109.3 inches, overall length stretches 1.8 inches to an even 191, and the track expands by 0.4 inch.

A more aggressive front bumper is topped by a wider grille, the headlights sweep into new front fenders, and the front turn signals are integrated with the LED daytime running lamps. A bold crease runs from the front fenders along the body sides to the rear quarter, and the new taillights wrap around the rear fenders into the trunk lid.

Interior highlights include higher-quality materials, a new center stack, a new 4.2-inch TFT display set between the major instruments (in SE, XLE, XSE models), and of course an array of the telematics features that are expected in every new car today. The engineering team also concentrated on reducing interior noises levels with improvements to door and window seals, increased insulating material under the carpeting, and reshaped side mirrors.

Powertrains are carryover: the standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder, optional 3.5-liter V-6, and the hybrid, which combines a four-cylinder engine augmented by an electric motor. All engines are paired with a six-speed automatic, save for the hybrid, which is mated to a CVT. Toyota isn’t discussing whether or not those carryover powertrains will see any power or efficiency gains, so expect to see similar numbers as the 2014 model’s. That means a 178-hp four-cylinder good for EPA ratings of 25 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway, a 268-hp V-6 capable of 21/30 ratings, and the 200-hp hybrid achieving 43/39.

The 2015 Camry is set to go on sale this fall, and it’s only then when we can really see for ourselves just how sporty this new Camry is, and whether or not this country’s drivers of indifference seem to notice.